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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Review: LUSH FUN

Fresh from what I imagine is LUSH's Willy Wonka-esque chocolate soap factory comes FUN, the multi-purpose soap that will brighten up your bathroom and your imagination. Available in five colours, LUSH touts this as "bubble bar, shampoo, soap, and play" in one product. In a nutshell, they're delicious-smelling Play-doh alternatives that also soap up.

Pink FUN is scented with tonka absolute and benzoin resinoid (think vanilla and ice cream). Personally, I feel like it smells more like cotton candy. I think people who enjoy the smell of Snow Fairy will absolutely love this.

Blue FUN is made with lavender and chamomile oil for a relaxing scent. I do think the smell is pleasantly calming.

Green FUN is bright and fresh with the scent of lemon and lime oils. I love the smell of refreshing citrus, so this was definitely my favourite of the three I received.

Yellow FUN uses vanilla and gardenia for a creamy marzipan scent.

Red FUN is fruity and cheerful with the scent of orange and mandarin oils.

Each colour is wrapped in biodegradeable cellophane in a style that reminds me of Jolly Rancher or other cellophane-wrapped candies. Between the packaging and the Play-Doh angle, this product certainly reads as a "kids" product; I think kids would love sculpting soaps in the bath, and it might even help resistant kids be more enthusiastic about washing up. However, I do think this is also a fantastic product for your inner kid! I have no problem imagining a grown man or woman having a relaxing bath while molding a masterpiece.

Molding aside, I like to use FUN is simply as a hand soap. I love how the smell of the soap lingers for a long time on my hands after washing; it's a nice pick-me-up. I can't use it as a shampoo because my dry scalp really needs the magic powers of LUSH Soak and Float (but that's another post). I don't take baths so I haven't tried it as a bubble bar either, although I can only imagine how fantastic and refreshing I'd smell and feel after soaking in a tub with some Green. I did use it as a body wash in the shower, and it lathers up perfectly well with the help of sodium laureth sulfate while the glycerine helps keep skin from drying out.

Bf also helped me discover another use for it:Bf: "Hey, I like that soap."Me: "What, that pink candy-smelling soap I put in your bathroom?"Bf: "Yeah, it makes my bathroom smell nice!"

My bathroom at home is larger so I don't notice this, but it will lightly perfume the air of a small bathroom after use. Even with the soap sitting next to the sink, the heat and moisture from a shower will help the soap's smell pretty up your bathroom.

If you were curious about the Japanese on the label "洗隊レンジャー", my best translation would be "wash(ing) squad rangers" (lol), followed by the colour of the soap. I interpreted this to be a shoutout to the Power Rangers I grew up with as a kid, i.e. Pink Washing Squad Ranger, Blue Washing Squad Ranger, and Green Washing Squad Ranger, haha. I wonder what kind of Megazord these soaps could combine to make?

The Japanese on the label might seem like a strange idea, but actually a portion of FUN sales will go towards projects to provide outdoor recreational activities (i.e. fun!) to children in areas affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster. I think it's a lovely gesture on LUSH's part myself.

Okay here is the part I'm most excited about, which is showing off what I made with my colours!

Masterpiece!

(Supposed to be this guy)

I made a Bulbasaur using Blue and Green! I'm very proud of it, especially the bulb part, and have been told it's "definitely" a Bulbasaur *preens* It has a special place in my heart for being my first starter Pokemon when I first played Pokemon Red as a kid *nerd talk* He currently lives in a soap dish in my bathroom. And look! He's super happy about helping my hands get clean and nice-smelling.

I also made a Slime from the Dragon Quest series with Blue and Pink. I did cheat a little and used the bits from a paper hole puncher to make the eyes. Even though I made him, I find his stare a little creepy--like he's silently saying "did you wash your hands for 30 secoooonds?" I removed the paper after I took the photos, so he can't judge me anymore.

Molding tips: damp hands are best to smooth the product into the shape you want. Too wet, and you'll lather away most of your soap! It is a bit difficult to mold while completely dry, and can be crumbly and make a mess if you're not careful. Like Play-Doh, the colours are really tough to mix together. I tried rolling Blue and Green together to make teal but they sort of stay separate, with globs of one colour mixed in with the other. I'm pointing this out in case people are thinking of saving money by buying say, Yellow and Blue to make green instead of buying Green (at least this is how my frugal brain works). Be warned that it just won't be very successful without a lot of effort.

FUN is a hand soap, shampoo, bubble bar, work of art-in-the-making, air freshener, and charitable contribution all rolled into one. Let me know if you find other uses for this colourful treat :>

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